Foolproof Cast Iron Chicken

I always left the meat and chicken to my hubby, and after 10 years decided I needed to take some weight off those broad shoulders of his … so here we go.

In my opinion, cooking with cast iron is so easy and it simplifies my life. So I cook with it constantly. This uses a Dutch oven on both the stovetop and in the oven—a one pan wonder!

You can use any chicken you want, but we like chicken breasts. You can also use as many pieces as will fit in your Dutch oven pan in a single layer.

You can vary this recipe by changing the marinade. Use teryaki and then toss the cooked chicken over rice with some broccoli, or use bbq and then toss it over mashed potatoes, or use Italian dressing and then toss it over lettuce for a lighter meal.

The night before or a few hours before wanting to eat, put your chicken in a container and cover it liberally with your choice of marinade.

Approximately 30 minutes before the meal, turn the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the cast iron pan on the stovetop and heat to high. Add in oil. Put in chicken and heat on each side until brown, approximately 2 minutes on each side. Put the lid on the cast iron pan and put it in the oven. Cook for approximately 20 minutes for chicken breasts (different parts can take 20-40 minutes, so check after 20 minutes to verify). I use an instant read thermometer to check. Let chicken sit for a few minutes while you get plates and such ready.

The chicken will have a nice brown and glazed exterior, with a juicy interior. I love that I can clean and prep the chicken the night before, then do the whole stovetop thing quickly before dinner, and while it is cooking in the oven, I can prepare some rice or potatoes to accompany the chicken.